What your child most wants – and needs – is to be with you with no goal in mind beyond the joy of spending time together. She wants you to take pleasure in her, play with her, and listen to her. Nothing bolsters her self-esteem more! So why not pull out a board game or card game tonight? Playing games is easy and excellent way to spend unhurried, enjoyable time together. As an added bonus, board games and card games are also rich in learning opportunities. They satisfy your child’s competitive urges and the desire to master new skills and concepts. Here’s a list of 9 benefits of playing board and card games:

Number and Shape recognition, grouping and counting

Letter recognition and reading

Visual perception and color recognition

Eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity

Games also teach important social skills, such as:

Verbal communication

Sharing

Waiting

Taking turns

Group interaction

Board games can also foster the ability to focus and lengthen your child’s attention span by encouraging the completion of a game.

I have had the privilege of spending the afternoons with the 3rd Graders from 3:00 – 5:00 pm. Each year, I have several kids who thrive on playing games with me. This is one of my most enjoyable times of my day. I have built relationships with kids in a more relaxed way at this time. Some of the games I have taught the kids throughout the years are:

Phase 10 Cards

Phase 10 Dice

Qwirkle

Yahtzee

Yahtzee Cards

Train Dominoes

Swap

Hit The Deck

Farkle

Farkle Flip

Backgammon

Skip Bo

Kids who are younger than 3rd Grade can enjoy most of these games as well. I hope you can enjoy playing games with your kids as much as I do!